VIDEO GAMES: Modern Warfare 3 First Impressions

We come to it at last. The third installment in the Modern Warfare franchise which promises to be one of the most popular video games in history. I finally got my copy this afternoon and have spent roughly the last seven hours playing the thing. I completed the campaign and have started getting into the multiplayer and I have one thing to say...I'm not sure what people were expecting.

Here's what I want from my Modern Warfare games. Minimal story, maximum action, slow motion badass set pieces and a multiplayer that I can play for weeks on end. This is exactly what we have been given.

I'll talk about the campaign first. Yes, this is more of the same. There are still countless slow motion jumps to helicopters, frantic gunfights and ridiculous stunts that would leave any human dead in less than a second. The story isn't all that intriguing and at times it's pretty tough to follow...but who freakin' cares. I want my Modern Warfare to make me feel like I'm playing the action scenes from a Michael Bay movie and that's what the campaign brings. I won't spoil anything since it's only been out for a day but to be honest the campaign was everything I hoped for. It took roughly 5 hours to complete and I finished up the story surrounding Makarov and his diabolical scheme. Those who cry for something different have to start being more specific, because honestly I'm not sure they even know what they want. Would you like extended dialogue to develop the characters? Perhaps a love interest for one of the five guys you play as? What are you looking for from the Modern Warfare franchise? I don't know, to me I guess the games are just supposed to be wild fun.

Now let's talk multiplayer. Oh hell yea. I'm only a couple hours in but I can promise you that the multiplayer is the best yet. The maps I've played so far have all been incredible. Well laid out and intricate giving several options as far as where you want to go. The most popular new game mode, Kill Confirmed, is superbly addicting. You can now level up your weapons to unlock attachments, perks, camos for that particular weapon. You can now choose to either have a kill streak reward to do damage to opponents or one aimed at supporting your team. Call of Duty ELITE allows you to track any stat imaginable and bring your online play to the next level. I could write so much more about it right now but to be honest I just want to go play more.

So here's where I am after one day with Modern Warfare 3. Is it perfect? Not by any means. Is it the most fun Call of Duty game to date? You bet it is. Highly recommended. Go buy it now.